Bewerbungen » OTTAWA — More pressure will be on the Ottawa Senators

OTTAWA — More pressure will be on the Ottawa Senators when they host the Montreal Canadiens for the second time in two days Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre.Not only will be trying to keep up with the pack Ben Bishop Jersey , but also to show that the corner they had appeared to turn isn’t going to lead them back to their sorry ways.The Senators (12-13-3) could have pulled into a tie for the second wildcard spot with a win in Montreal, but are now in danger of falling six points behind their arch rivals. Fortunately for them, the back-to-back set shifts to a venue where they’ve had much success. Their 9-4-2 home record is one of the best in the NHL.Article continues below ...The 5-2 loss at Bell Centre snapped the Senators winning streak at three games and also saw the return of the shoddy defensive play they were starting to get away from. During the three victories, they had only surrendered five goals. That was big for a team that have allowed more goals and shots against than any other in the league.On Tuesday they broke down in the second period, allowing the Canadiens three unanswered goals in a 3:39 span.“We weren’t quite ready to play right from the start,” center Zack Smith told the Ottawa Sun. “They were better and kept their foot on the grass. It’s only one game. We’re only a few days from paying our best hockey of the year.“We still have confidence … (Thursday) is a good opportunity and we have a lot to prove. The easy way to explain (Tuesday’s) game is that our effort level was not there, but we don’t have too many days to think about it.”Major obstacles will be in the Senators way as they attempt to get back on track. The Canadiens (13-10-5) will again turn to goalie Carey Price, who had some timely saves among the 28 he made against Ottawa earlier this week. Price has impressive career numbers against the Senators. Along with a 23-9-5 mark that includes three shutouts, he boasts a .922 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average versus Ottawa.Price will be making his sixth consecutive start on Thursday.“I think there’s no reason we can’t ride him,” coach Claude Julien told reporters, per Montreal Gazette.The Canadiens also hope to ride the offensive combination of Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin, who both had three points in the win over Ottawa.“Both of them are smart players, both of them are good playmakers and they see the ice real well http://www.officialstarsproonline.com/authentic-adidas-brett-ritchie-jersey ,” Julien told the Gazette. “They also enjoy playing with each other. That’s more important than people think.”Rounding out Montreal’s new top line is a mucker, veteran winger Andrew Shaw, who is raving about the speed of his new linemates.“When they have the puck and they’re going, they’re great at making quick, little plays or beating guys one-on-one,” Shaw told the Gazette. “Their compete level is pretty cool, too.”Craig Anderson, who made 35 saves in Montreal, will start in goal for the Senators. Against the Habs he has career numbers of 12-12-3 along with a .895 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA. Faced with the prospect of a third straight loss, the Edmonton Oilers are tinkering with their top line. They’ll see if that strategy pays off immediately when the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning come to Rogers Place on Saturday night.After giving up three power-play goals in a loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, Edmonton (18-14-3) opened a five-game homestand with a 4-1 loss to the lowly St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.Article continues below ...Coach Ken Hitchcock on Thursday revealed that Jesse Puljujarvi will move up to the No. 1 line, joining two-time scoring champion Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.Puljujarvi, a 6-foot-4 winger Adam Clendening Jersey Womens , has just three goals in 24 games this season. Selected fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, Puljujarvi was taken before some players who have already made an impact in the league, including Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames and Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks.Puljujarvi, who has 16 goals and 16 assists in 117 career games and spent time in former coach Todd McLellan’s doghouse, is getting a second chance under Hitchcock.“If I can get him up another level tempo-wise, with the way his conscience is on the ice defensively, he’s going to make a good teammate,” Hitchcock said Thursday. “So why not play him with the fastest player on the team and maybe even in the league and see if he can keep up?”Nugent-Hopkins said Friday that Puljujarvi is hard to stop once he gets moving and sees a key to the 20-year-old’s game returning.“I see him getting (confidence) back now. It’s a huge part of the game and if you don’t have it, it can be tough out there sometimes,” said Nugent-Hopkins, one of four Oilers to reach double-digits in goals.The change comes against the league hottest team.With a 5-4 win in a seven-round shootout over the Flames on Thursday, Tampa Bay (27-7-2) has picked up points in 11 straight games. Coach Jon Cooper was impressed with the way the team responded after giving up three first-period goals.“Especially early on (this season), we we’re falling behind in games. The guys are finding a way to come back Devin Shore Jersey ,” he said. “It wasn’t the best recipe for success, but we’ve kind of found our game a little bit.”The Oilers’ newly formed top line presents a problem for Cooper even before the Bolts hit the ice.“It’s tough when you’re unfamiliar with teams. You can sit here and say ‘OK, this is the top point team in the West,’ but you don’t know until you’re out there and lines are playing against each other. You can only acquire so much on video,” he said after the win over Calgary.The Lightning are going for a sweep of the season series after cruising to a 5-2 win on Nov. 6 in Florida. Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and leads the club with 37 helpers and 52 points.“I think it’ll be a good test. It wasn’t our best game when we played in Tampa, by any means. We know we can be better,” Nugent-Hopkins said.Edmonton is 6-1-0 in its last seven home games versus Tampa Bay.The Oilers will be without winger Jujhar Khaira after he was given a two-game suspension for cross-checking Blues defenseman Vince Dunn earlier in the week. Khaira, who has three points his last four games, will also miss Thursday’s rematch with Vancouver.